


W I N N E R

by serviceace



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, M/M, Training Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:48:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22501237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serviceace/pseuds/serviceace
Summary: Kuroo’s voice was soft. “I’ll be back to take it from you later,” he said. “After you’ve won.”“That’s funny,” Tsukishima whispered. “I already feel like I have.”Just some good ol' fashion sunset confessions ft. sea-salt ice cream, promises, and hushed tones. its soft. very soft. they're in love, after all.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 1
Kudos: 143
Collections: Kurotsuki Sweetheart Zine





	W I N N E R

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the piece that I wrote for the [kurotsuki zine](http://twitter.com/kurotsukizine) that I modded! s/o to nomura for his seasalt ice cream shenanigans.

On the last day of the training camp, the sun burned hotter than ever, and coupled with all the practice games, the participating teams of the Fukurodani Academy Group were pretty much down and out. Chests heaving and sweat gleaming, Karasuno took the majority of the hit, having lost too many games to count. They were all scattered about in the grass —some on their backs, some on their sides — and looked close to passing out. 

Tsukishima in particular wasn’t faring any better. His hands felt clammy and his white T-shirt was sticking to his skin. It was uncomfortable, that was for sure, but it was also downright disgusting. He  _ felt  _ disgusting. The middle blocker was never one to exert this much effort into something like volleyball, but holy hell did it come with a price this time. 

While it was true he was training and practicing more, he didn’t have endless amounts of energy (or was it stupidity?) like some of the people on his team. Reaching up to shield his eyes from the unforgiving sunlight, he let out an audible groan before rolling over onto his side. Oh how he wished he was back in bed, and more importantly, in a room with fucking air-conditioning. Tanaka’s drawn out exclamation of  _ “It’s so fucking hot!” _ permeated through the air and made Tsukishima stiffen irritably.

_ We know that without you saying it, moron,  _ he thought, mentally rolling his eyes. The middle blocker would give anything — his shitty eyesight, his school notes, literally anything — for something cold right then. He felt desperate, like someone stranded on an island with nothing to live for.  _ I’ll block more spikes for Bokuto-san… I’ll even help that freaky duo with their homework after all this,  _ Tsukishima half-assedly swore.  _ I don’t care anymore. I just want — _

Was it just him, or was his inner voice slowly dying too? 

It was times like these that made Tsukishima realize just how much he took the winter months for granted. Sure, the snow got annoying sometimes, but it had its perks too, like the fact that it was always  _ cold _ . Truth be told, Tsukishima actually hated the cold, and had enough scarves to warm him into the next ice age, yet here he was, up close and personal with hell itself. 

In his hazy mind, Tsukishima thought back to the comforts of his room and how nice the air conditioning felt after volleyball practice. Like a gentle breeze, he often got swept into its soothing embrace. Call him crazy, but even now, Tsukishima could practically feel it against his cheek, and responded accordingly, pressing his face closer to it, and nuzzling the soft skin.

Hold on. 

Skin? 

“Cold, isn’t it?” 

Needing a few seconds to adjust to the offending sunlight, Tsukishima cracked an eye open slowly as a shadowy darkness fell over him. A second iris opened to join the first and the blond blinked. Looking down at him with an amused expression was Kuroo. He must have made his way over to him while Tsukishima was busy wallowing in desperation. 

Still a bit taken aback, Tsukishima crinkled a brow. Although he was surprised to see Kuroo — he certainly wasn’t there ten minutes ago — it wasn’t necessarily his presence that was throwing him off. No, it was the fact that the captain’s hand was outstretched and cradling his cheek as if it were something precious. “Kuroo-san?” Tsukishima called, ratherly dumbly. “What are you doing? Why are your hands so cold?” Not that Tsukishima minded of course.

Kuroo only chuckled. “Are you complaining?” 

When the blond didn’t reply, Kuroo let out another laugh as he made himself comfortable. He nudged his head over towards the managers and directed Tsukishima’s attention to the horde of boys sprinting towards them. They were all busy handing out popsicles to everyone, doing their best to accommodate them all. “Me and the other captains pitched in to get everyone a treat.” Caressing Tsukishima’s cheek gently with a brush of his thumb, his expression turned almost fond when the blond sighed in relief. “Call it a peace offering for surviving your first actual training camp,” he explained, the corners of his lips curving upwards into a small smile. 

Tsukishima let out a genuine laugh at that. “So, even someone like you is good for something,” he said, practically cuddling the welcomed hand now. He blissfully rubbed his cheek against Kuroo’s palm, sighing contently once more as the other raised a brow.

_ He really is too cute _ , Kuroo thought, shifting slightly so he could use his other hand to rest his own cheek against something. If he looked like a lovesick fool, then so be it. There was something special about Tsukishima, and he was determined to find it. “I’m good for a lot of things,” the older teen said, finally. 

The blond hummed at that, reveling in the comfort of Kuroo’s touch. “Oh? Is that so?”

A smile laced Kuroo’s lips once more. “I’m sure I could show you a thing or two.” 

* * *

After their quick popsicle break, Karasuno, Ubugawa, Nekoma, Fukurodani, and Shinzen all resumed their various practice games. They played for a few more hours until the coaches ultimately called it, signalling that practice was over. As the many players began filing towards the locker rooms, some chose to stay outside. 

Of them, were some of the upperclassmen. Tsukishima could see Sawamura, Asahi, and Sugawara with their heads bent together over to his left, Bokuto to his right, and Kuroo up over the hill. Akaashi on the other hand was right beside him, the two talking strategy (or rather, Akaashi talked, and Tsukishima listened).

“Oi, Tsukki!” Kuroo shouted, waving at Tsukishima. “Come with me for a second, will you?”

Stopping his conversation with Akaashi, Tsukishima turned towards the other middle blocker, his expression confused. “Me? What for?” 

Kuroo brushed the question off. “Don’t worry about it! Just trust me, alright? Come on!”

Studying him silently, Akaashi raised an amused brow and hid a smile. He had always been the perceptive type after all. Reaching up to pat Tsukishima on the shoulder, he nodded as well. “Go with him, Tsukishima. You may not get another chance like this for a long time.” Not wanting to give Tsukishima the chance to escape, he stepped away, pointedly ignoring Tsukishima’s calls for him, and made his way back towards Bokuto and the rest of Fukurodani.

Tsukishima kept trying. “What are you talking about, Akaashi-san? Akaashi-san!”

“Hurry up, Tsukki! The sun’s about to go down!” Kuroo admonished again, growing impatient.

Seeing as how there wasn’t anywhere else for him to go, Tsukishima let out a sigh and shook his head in exasperation. “Calm down, Kuroo-san. I’m coming.” As he began his walk up the hill, he couldn’t help but replay Akaashi’s words in his head.  _ What did Akaashi-san mean by that? What chance? _

“It’s about time, Tsukki,” Kuroo said with a huff, uncrossing his arms. “Come on, I don’t want to miss it.” 

Rather than replying with some sort of smug response, Tsukishima just nodded apologetically and followed after the other middle blocker. After all Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi did for him, the least he could do was go along with whatever shenanigans they were planning.

Despite how much of a hurry Kuroo was in, he stayed relatively quiet, but in all honesty, Tsukishima didn’t really mind. It was a companionable silence that fell between them as they made their way atop the hill overlooking the school grounds. They walked together side-by-side, not close enough that their shoulders brushed, but close enough that Tsukishima could feel the warmth radiating off the other’s body. 

They found a secluded spot and stood towards the facing sun, both watching it with interest.

_ Funny how things turn out sometimes, _ Tsukishima thought, taking the time to think back to not even a few hours ago when Kuroo had been the one to cool him down. Like the ever-changing seasons, Kuroo had many sides to him. There was the Kuroo who antagonized him about his starting position when the training camp first started, and the Kuroo who encouraged him to be the best blocker he could be. Of all the different faces and sides to Kuroo, there was also another Kuroo that Tsukishima was lucky enough to see, and it was the one from earlier. This side of Kuroo, who held him lovingly with just a touch of his hand, was something Tsukishima had never expected.

He’d lie if asked, but even Tsukishima couldn't deny his desire to explore them all.

Kuroo’s voice broke through his thoughts once more as something cold and frosty was held out in front of him. “Here, Tsukki,” the captain started. “This one’s for you.” 

In his hand was an icy popsicle. Light blue and curved at the ends, it was flanked by another on the side. With two sticks protruding from the end, it was obvious what Kuroo wanted Tsukishima to do, and so, Tsukishima did it. Reaching out, he broke off his half of the popsicle and brought it towards his mouth, licking it experimentally. 

Salty.

That was the first thing Tsukishima tasted anyway, but then, sweetness bloomed on his tongue. It took him by surprise and he kept licking it just to see if he was dreaming it. How could something salty be sweet too? 

Crazily enough, it was absolutely delicious.

Nudging Tsukishima with his elbow, Kuroo grinned. “It’s good, right? This is my favorite one.” Instead of licking the popsicle, the dark-haired teen took a bite off the corner — of course Kuroo was that kind of guy — as his expression became soft. “My grandparents used to get it for me all the time when I was a kid.” 

“It’s good,” Tsukishima agreed, not knowing what else to say. His other hand fell to his sides as Kuroo tuned to face him, his own set of eyes locking with that of burning amber. Truth be told, he couldn’t really focus at the moment. Maybe it was the way the reds and oranges of the sunset encircled them both, but for the rest of his life, Tsukishima could honestly say that he had never seen a man more handsome. 

“You know, the next time we see each other will be on opposite sides of the net,” Kuroo mentioned, taking another bite. One by one, he listed them all. “Nekoma versus Karasuno.” A bite. “The Battle at the Garbage Dump.” Another bite. “Cats and Ravens.” The popsicle was almost all gone at this point. “I want to see how much you’ll grow by then.”

The intensity of Kuroo’s gaze bore through Tsukishima like a knife and he sucked in a breath. 

“Practice, practice, and practice,” Kuroo told him. “I want you to keep practicing until you’re the best middle blocker in Sendai.” Finishing up the rest of his popsicle, Kuroo turned it over, studying it quickly, his eyes now an even brighter hue than before. “I won’t be there beside you when you face Ushijima, but I’ll be cheering for you even still.” 

If there were any words Tsukishima could offer him, he couldn’t articulate it.

“Bokuto and Akaashi too,” the captain added. “We’ll be watching.”

Tsukishima’s throat turned dry when Kuroo took his hand into his, his senses practically overloading at this point. He could barely even register that his own half-eaten popsicle had just toppled onto the ground. The two of them had been dancing around each other for too long, but this, this finally felt  _ real _ . 

“Keep this for me until then, okay?” Pushing something into Tsukishima’s hand, Kuroo leaned forward until their foreheads touched, their bangs mixing together to create a beautiful display of black and gold. 

Using his free hand, Tsukishima began to trace over the carved, imprinted letters of the popsicle stick, the tips of his fingers gliding over them as he mentally read it out: winner. And just like that, warmth spread through his body once again.  _ Winner,  _ Tsukishima thought. 

Kuroo’s voice was soft. “I’ll be back to take it from you later,” he said. “After you’ve won.” 

“That’s funny,” Tsukishima whispered. “I already feel like I have.”


End file.
